S/O Have you ever successfully stopped shopping???

I've been on a couple of long haul freezes over the past few years. The first one I challenged myself to make 100 pages before I could buy something which took about a year. Then I went on a little spree and recommitted to using up the new supplies before I could shop again. I keep doing that over and over. If I cave and buy some new things, I put them aside until I used a sufficient amount of the last purchase.

There's also a certain amount of joy in using up something that's been in your stash for a while.

After a while, not shopping becomes the habit. One of the things that made it easier was noticing that the style of supplies are very slow to evolve so things coming out now are not that different from earlier in the year.

Good luck!


Disclaimer: the freeze did not include adhesive, white cardstock or things I needed to make specific gifts. I also don't include tools but I also don't go crazy with them.

I am on a freeze and started Dec 1 and it lasts till june 1, 2019 - 6 months. First time ever doing it longer than a month, I think.

I did have to finish getting my last AE sub (JOY), which I knew I was in a new committmebt, but I am canceling as soon as it ships and taking a $30 early cancelling fee. I quit all other subs. I have been unsubscribing to emails as they come and unfollowed stuff on Instagram except for inspiration as sleepingbooty recommended.

I have sooo much stuff and many many unused kits. I will do this. I have so many unfished albums that I want to complete.

I am excited for the new year to use up my stuff and get creative, and spend less time online browsing stores and kit clubs. I also want to participate in the challenges here again monthly - they are fun!

I've been on a spending freeze out of necessity for several months.

And before this, I've been severely restricting my shopping.

My best advice is to stay away from places you shop, where it's b&m store or online. Just don't look.

I absolutely agree with this. I get great satisfaction from using stuff that has been in my stash for years. Even if it's only one piece of patterned paper. The longer I've had something, the giddier I feel when I actually use it. Dunno why, but it helps keep me motivated.

I have done it before in years past.

Packing and moving has definitely put me in a freeze...six months in a rental without access to my stash should help too...yikes...

A few years back, I read the "Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" when it was all the rage and did a pretty big clean out of my entire house. I also noticed, it made me shop less, for everything. Slowly, though, I feel like stuff & shopping has started creeping it's way back in. I'm really re-thinking my buying habits right now. I was also really good about budgeting. I set aside a budget for art supplies every month. That included the cost of any kits, online classes, digital supplies, my creative cloud sub, whatever. That worked pretty well for me. Then I knew I could still buy something if I wanted too, but I had a limit.

In 2019, I need to get back to that practice. I way over spent in 2018 in all areas of my life. I also have stopped all kit clubs but AE's SBTM. Now I only buy a kit when I really love it. I'm okay with paying more so I don't end up with a bunch of stuff I don't love every month.

I'm attempting a freeze; although I have thawed a couple of times. I had to stop by the LSS to pick up something I forgot at a class and I bought a couple of embossing powders. I left the Facebook group of a smaller stamp company but forgot to quit their newsletter, and as a result was tempted and caved and bought three stamp sets. I also bought some cut files. Still, I'm doing way better than September and October when I was on a binge.

I agree with unfollowing groups and newsletters and haul videos. A strategy that has also worked for me is wishlists. If I saw something I wanted I added a link to it on my Amazon wish list. That allowed me to put it out of my mind. And I still might get it for Christmas or my birthday.

Use your stash. I seriously shop less when I am using my stuff. It reminds me I already have stuff and don't need anymore.

I've tried the freeze before... usually it's around this time of the year when I think that it's time to stop buying stuff, but I've never been successful. Guess what my New Year's resolution will be in 2019... yeah, to stop spending. Let's see if I can make it a week this year!

No, I haven't Honestly, though, I find it easy to just cut back when I'm not using what I have and when my space is soooo overcrowded with stuff (which it has been since I moved into this smaller space). Also, when I'm busy I miss the sale and what's new emails, and that takes a lot of temptation away. Definitely unsubscribing will help!

How about focus on collecting layout ideas and making page kits? Tell yourself you can't fit anymore in until you use some up. Or destash to make some $$ and limit yourself to spending only what you earn from destashing.

Good luck!

I'm currently in a freeze (since some time in October I think) and plan to stay frozen for 2019...we simply need to cut back on discretionary spending (and on less fun stuff like groceries and electricity as well) so I'll be scrapping from the stash -for now, I'm not even ordering photos - I have plenty already printed that I can scrap. I'll allow myself to pick up black/white cardstock and adhesive and possibly other cardstock if I'm absolutely OUT of a necessary colour and there isn't anything else that'll work.

This speaks to something I've noticed - shopping online doesn't really FEEL like shopping, so you can trick your brain into thinking you've shopped, either by putting things in a cart and then closing the browser down, or by pinning stuff on Pinterest on a wishlist. It feels almost exactly the same! Have you ever noticed that if an order is delayed you hardly even notice - they say the best moment of shopping is when you've decided to buy it but before you actually own the stuff. Once you own it reality sets in. But if you pin stuff you feel like you "captured it" and by the time you notice you don't actually receive it other cool things have come out that you want even more. Don't go look at your wishlist often though!

Don't go to shops like Tuesday Morning where you're browsing for something that might be a good deal rather than shopping for a specific thing you genuinely need. Unsubscribing and staying away from discussions about new stuff should help a lot, and getting busy with using things. I think kitting up supplies you already own would help too.

I think the mental side is important too - writing down exactly why you want to stop shopping, coming up with other justifications for why this is a good thing to do (maybe a word that speaks to you, or some value based argument/reminder about why this matters to you). For example, if you value creativity and resourcefulness you can celebrate that when you come up with creative solutions to "problems" that you used to shop for.

I actually stopped buying for 2 years. That was because I went back to college and moved and my daughter was young so I was super busy and I didn't go online much except for homework and also money was tight. But once things slowed down and I was back online looking at what was new I felt the "gotta have it" kick back in and started spending again.